Steak isn't always on our dinner menu, but when it is, it had better be good! While small children (at least mine) usually turn their noses up at food that needs to be chewed for more than 0.5 seconds, that doesn't diminish the fact that sometimes your body just craves some red meat.

Trying new recipes is something I do when I'm feeling brave... even though when my husband sees "NEW" circled near a menu item, he cringes (too bad! She who does the cooking makes the executive menu decisions!) This week, there are three new items on the menu... OH, THE HORROR!

Regardless, last night I made these Asian Steak Bites... courtesy of Pinterest, BTW. I know, flank steak isn't cheap, but it's goooood. Marinating was quick and easy, and from pan preheat to done, the cooking only took less than 15 minutes. I'll take that kind of ease any day of the week.

Only because the word "Asian" was in the name did I assume that this meat should be served with rice... but I'm sure noodles or any starchy goodness would pair nicely. My oldest son loved it, my youngest son chewed his first piece for about 10 minutes until it lost its color and texture, but my husband and I LOVED it. It was simply fantastic. Easy and delicious... and that's why I'm recommending it to you. The hardest part was trying to find chili paste at my local grocery store!

I know you're wondering... was it spicy? No. My oldest who thinks ketchup and regular pizza sauce are spicy noticed a slight twinge of after-heat, but it wasn't enough for him to down multiple glasses of milk... so, it's not really spicy.

Slice the steak across the grain into strips 1/2" wide. Cut each strip into bite-size pieces, approximately 1/2" - 3/4" in size. Place the chunks of beef into a medium size bowl. Stir together the soy sauce, honey, and chili paste. Pour over the beef and stir to coat well. Let the meat marinate for 20-30 minutes.

Heat a heavy bottom stainless steel pan or wok over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add 1 tablespoon of oil and swirl to coat. Add 1/3 of the meat to the pan and spread out in a single layer. Let it cook for about a minute, until the meat has browned. Flip the meat or toss with a spatula for an additional minute or two as it finishes cooking. Remove the meat from the pan to a plate.

Add half of the remaining meat to the hot pan and repeat the above steps. Add the cooked meat to the waiting plate. If necessary, add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan before adding the remaining meat. Repeat the steps. Enjoy!

​Looking to multitask holiday cookie making with involving and entertaining the kids? This recipe is the perfect project to accomplish both in less than 30 minutes! With only 4 main ingredients and very simple instructions, the kids can help measure, stir, and decorate without compromising adult sanity.

Grandma's No-Bake Drop CookiesIngredients:

20 oz package of white almond bark

4 cups of Rice Krispies cereal

2.5 cups mini marshmallows

2 cups peanuts (salted or otherwise - just no skins)

Optional: holiday sprinkles

Directions:

Lay down wax paper on the counter (about 2 sheets 3'-4' long)

Combine all dry ingredients in large mixing bowl and stir until blended.

The holidays mean many things to many people, but most can agree that it means slaving away in the kitchen (alone) as you talk angrily to yourself and grow rampant gray hairs while trying to create those memories that you hope your children will someday treasure and appreciate.

In my case, I do try to make time to bake at least the classics: cut-out sugar cookies, chocolate kringles, and some Rice Krispy-marshmallow-almond-bark-nut thing my grandma used to make that is always a hit. Why do I put myself through the torture of cut-out cookie making? Because, of course, frosted sugar cookies are my absolute favorite!

Sugar, coated in sugar, dressed in sugar? Yes PLEASE! Luckily for me, a few years back my good friend Nadine shared with me her recipe for perfect cookies and frosting, and this recipe is the one I'm sharing with you.

Please forgive my poor decorating, as I do believe that the overall taste forgives the sloppy ornamental workmanship... no one should spend all day decorating with special tools unless he or she is building a case for a future insanity plea!

Oh, and one special note to ambitious mothers looking for a "fun" baking project with the kids... you know who you are - the ones who only envision laughter and memories, not freak-outs and total anarchy... depending on the ages of your children, you could very well end up doing most of the work yourself. (if you're looking for a kid-friendly cookie recipe - try my Chocolate Sugar Cookies).

However, if you get ambitious and have several hours to yourself - I promise, these cookies are WORTH IT!

Cookie Ingredients

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

3 sticks of butter (softened)

1 tsp. vanilla

5 cups flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

Icing Ingredients

1.5 sticks of butter (softened)

6 cups powdered sugar

7.5 Tbsp. milk

1.5 tsp. vanilla

food coloring

holiday sprinkles

Directions:

In a mixer, beat 4 eggs. Add sugar. Add butter. Add vanilla.

In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together until blended.

Add in small amounts to egg mixture while mixing constantly.

Cover and chill for a minimum of 2 hours.

Work in batches (so your dough doesn't get too soft). Flour work surface, work dough into a ball, and roll to 1/8" thick, flouring surface to keep the dough movable.

Cut shapes out and place onto a heavily greased nonstick baking sheet.

Bake at 400 for 6 minutes (NO MORE). When they come out - they will look uncooked, but they continue to cook after coming out... do not overbake.

Let cookies cool 6 minutes while the next batch is baking, and then transfer to cooling racks. Stack like shapes on top of each other to save space.

TIP: Mix different types of sprinkles into a bowl, spoon toppings onto wet frosting, and shake excess off... or decorate over a large bowl, and use the leftovers to decorate.** Makes aproximately 100 cookies

Even though hearts aren't a traditional Christmas cookie shape, I like to include them because Christmas (and all of the work that goes into it) is about the love of our families and the traditions they'll remember in their hearts... and their stomachs!

I love a good recipe that provides flavor and elegance without breaking the bank or taking too much of my precious time. This recipe is just that... and if you plan just right, you can make it twice to optimize usage of the ingredients.

For sides with this dish, I like to serve a green (broccoli or asparagus) for color and a light starch (like rice) to offset the heaviness of the cream sauce. The recipe itself takes much less time to make than I anticipated, and that gives me time to work on sides and presentation!

2 Tbsp. capers, drained and rinsed (I used a 1/2 of a 3.5 oz jar because I LOVE capers)

Directions:

Sprinkle chicken with lemon pepper, salt, dill, and garlic powder. NOTE: I just laid all my chicken flat and sprinkled both front and back with all of the dry spice ingredients - no annoying measuring.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Put chicken in skillet and brown, burning frequently, until golden on both sides, about 5 minutes. Continue to cook chicken, turning once, until cooked through, 5-7 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate, and cover with foil.

Return skillet to stovetop and increase heat to high. Add whipping cream and simmer, whisking constantly until reduced to sauce consistency, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in capers, and pour over chicken.

SERVING NOTE: I like to slice my chicken (after letting it rest), and pour the sauce over it so that the flavors can soak in... I also like to top my starch side (rice) with soy sauce and cream sauce... to tie everything together.

If you make this dish twice in 2 weeks, you can use up all of the whipping cream and the capers!

As matriarch of this family, and a big proponent of holiday traditions, this year I have decreed that our family will eat pound cake on Christmas. Why? I don't know; because I can and because my husband likes pound cake so it is inevitable that my boys will blindly follow suit.

Every family should have their own "unique" traditions for the holidays - that's what make them special! Not one who likes to blend in to a crowd, I wanted a non-traditional dessert to become our family's yearly finale... and so it is... 5 Flavor Pound Cake (bestowed upon me by a good friend's mother - an amazing baker).

Recipes are meant to be shared, and food is meant to be enjoyed so give this dessert a try for your next family gathering. I promise there will be smiling faces and few leftovers!

5 Flavor Pound CakeCake Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened

½ cup veg. oil

5 eggs

3 c. white sugar

3 c. all purpose flour

½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

1 c. milk

1 tsp. coconut extract

1 tsp. rum flavored extract

1 tsp. butter flavored extract

1 tsp. almond extract

1 tsp. vanilla extract

​Glaze Ingredients:

¼ c. water

½ c. white sugar

½ tsp. coconut extract

½ tsp. rum flavored extract

½ tsp. butter flavored extract

½ tsp. almond extract

½ tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325. Grease and flour a tube pan (I used a silicone bundt pan).

Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.

Cream butter, oil, and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in flour mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour. Mix well. Stir in 1 tsp. of each flavoring. Pour batter into prepared pan.

In a small saucepan, combine water, sugar, and 1 tsp. of each extract. Boil until the sugar has completely dissolved. Spoon over cake and let cool.

TIP: I glaze my cake on a plate and then once it cools and the glaze has soaked in, I transfer it to a cake stand or cake storage container so that the lid doesn't get stuck in the over-spill of glaze.

When I make breads or anything, for that matter, than I can put into the freezer for later, I make double or triple batches... GO BIG, OR GO HOME! Plus, I'm the type who just likes to do it, make the mess, and get it over with.

I love a good sweet bread slathered with butter - who doesn't? And even though I despise the taste of coffee, I actually love this date bread recipe, but I NEVER add nuts to my breads. Why? Eating a nut in some bread or in a cookie or in a brownie is like a bad surprise party in your mouth... or the unwanted guest at a party that no one felt comfortable telling not to come... you know what I mean... "Oh my goodness, this bread is SOOOO amazing... oh wait, is that a nut? Well, it was good... sure wish someone hadn't invited that nut to the party!"

Baking around the holidays gives me the chance to gift homemade items, and who doesn't love some good homemade baked goods to soften the waistline toward the end of the year?

Date Bread(nuts optional)**keep in mind that I triple this recipe when I make it - you'll need 8 or 9 mini loaf pans for that undertaking.

You know, in the summer, there are NEVER enough pasta salad recipes to get you through the grilling, picnic, and bring-a-dish-to-share events... am I right? I find myself constantly on Pinterest searching for more ways to spice up my summer side dishes; I mean, how many different salads are in your repertoire to serve with burgers, hot dogs, and chicken on the grill?

Summertime calls for cold salads, not a steady IV drip of heavy, starchy potatoes dredged in butter (even though I do love those). Luckily for me, my mom makes a salad that my husband has positively commented on twice, and so I finally got the recipe and made it. The problem was... neither the original recipe (or my mom's variation) were super specific so I made my own version... and it tasted goooooood!

Combine dressing mix with pasta, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Now, would I ever steer you wrong when it comes to feeding your family? Every one of my recipes has been tested on the guinea pigs that live under my roof, and this one was a BIG hit. Spice up your summer with this new summer pasta salad recipe!

You know, when a recipe has the word "easy" in it, one assumes it will, in fact, be easy, but don't believe everything you read! Strawberry shortcake is one of my ALL-TIME FAVORITE desserts, especially in the summer. A long, LONG time ago when I was in high school, I had the most amazing strawberry shortcake at Six Flags in Texas.

Rarely is a dessert ever so good that it lingers in the unrequited memory of my taste buds for so long, but I have craved that very dessert for almost 17 years. One evening as I was searching on Pinterest for a strawberry shortcake photo that resembled what I was looking for, I stumbled upon this "Easy Strawberry Shortcake" recipe from Real Simple.

The problem was, I was too lazy to make the effort... it looked like a lot of work, and frankly, I don't spend most of my in-kitchen time baking... I'm usually just trying to get the family fed with home-cooked meals, not trying to win any pastry chef awards. Finally, an opportunity arose wherein I simply had to rise to the occasion - a guest for dinner... and so I did the unthinkable... I tried a new recipe on a dinner guest!

I'd never even made my own whipped cream before, but it was dessert, and it's not like we were going to starve. Well, in hindsight, maybe we should have skipped dinner and went right for dessert because that dessert was enormous, heavy, rich, and truly amazing! No one was able to finish their portions, but I am so relieved to finally have the recipe I have been searching for for so long...

So, when your husband is grilling dinner, take a stab at making this dessert for your family... just remember to be very hungry when you eat it, or you'll be in full-on food regret mode afterwards!

Pain-in-the-Ass-But-So-Worth-It Strawberry ShortcakeIngredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon table salt or fine sea salt

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon of sugar in the raw

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 cup whole milk

2 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 cups heavy cream*

2 quarts strawberries, hulled and quartered (it was two 16 oz containers of strawberries from the store)

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 pint strawberry ice cream*

-------------*ALTERNATE to unsweetened cream and strawberry ice cream: Sweetened Whipped Cream(I found that the ice cream and the whipped cream together was just too much so next time, I'll ditch the ice cream and just make this sweetened whipped cream)

1.5 cups heavy whipping cream

4.5 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a chilled small glass bowl and using chilled beaters, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla; beat until soft peaks form. Store in the refrigerator.

TIP: Make the whipped cream ahead of time (a few hours), store in refrigerator, and bring it back to life with a whisk before serving

-------------Directions:

Heat oven to 400° F. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ¼ cup of the sugar in a large bowl. Add the butter. Blend with a pastry blender or your fingers until crumbly. Add the milk and stir until just combined (do not overmix).

Drop 8 large mounds of the dough (a little less than ½ cup each) 1 inch apart on a baking sheet. Brush with 2 tablespoons of the heavy cream and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the sugar mixed with 1 tablespoon of sugar in the raw (makes for a better sugary crunch). Bake, rotating the baking sheet halfway through, until golden, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Meanwhile, in another large bowl, toss the strawberries with the vanilla, lemon juice, and the remaining ¼ cup of sugar. Let sit, tossing occasionally, for at least 30 minutes.

Beat the remaining 1½ cups of heavy cream with an electric mixer until soft peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes. Split the biscuits. Top each bottom with strawberries and juices, ice cream, whipped cream, and a biscuit top.

First of all, you know a recipe is good when it is requested multiple times by the same person... AND... that person reminds you to bring that dessert regardless of whether or not you remembered to bring your husband! Yes, this pound cake is to die for, if you like really, really, REALLY sweet cakes. With a total of four cups of sugars... it's pretty much like an instant case of diabetes.

My friend was so excited to eat some of it that she cut the first piece for herself and started eating it before realizing that she never offered anyone else a piece... now that's a good recipe. Yes, the caramel sauce pools in the middle, testing your will power to resist the urge to stick your face in it, but please do resist, as it is very sticky, and you'd probably end up with people licking your face.

Try it - you'll like it!

Brown Sugar Caramel Pound CakeIngredients:

1.5 cups butter, softened

2 cups brown sugar, packed

1 cup white sugar

5 large eggs

3 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup milk

1 8oz bag of toffee chips

Caramel Drizzle:

1 14oz can of sweetened condensed milk

1 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp. butter

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325, and spray a 12 cup bundt pan with cooking spray (I prefer a silicone bundt - like this one I got on Amazon.com because then you can loosen the sides before flipping it over and hoping for the best. I also like the PAM cooking spray for baking - give it a GOOD, healthy coat to guarantee no sticking)

Beat butter until creamy. Add sugars, beating until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time (I don't know why, but I did it).

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mix to batter alternately with milk, beat until just combined.

Stir in toffee bits. Spoon batter into pan, and bake 90 minutes or until wooden pick comes out clean.

Let cake cool for 10 minutes. Remove from pan, and let cool for at least 30 minutes on a wire rack.

Make caramel drizzle: in a medium saucepan, combine condensed milk and brown sugar; bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking frequently. Reduce heat, and simmer for 8 minutes, whisking frequently. Remove from heat; whisk in butter and vanilla.

Here's the deal: not every mom works from home like I do and can start dinner at 4:00 for a 5:00 "feeding" of the family. Regardless of my in-home situation, I still look for simple, easy, and tasty dishes I can bang out quickly for my family... dishes that are still made from scratch but don't take an hour to complete.

Thank you Pinterest for another great find. When I saw "lemon" in the title of this recipe and saw that it called for 2-3 Tbsp of lemon juice, I made a face (much like a sucking-on-a-lemon face)... lemon isn't my favorite. However, I was willing to give it a shot, and in my "old age" I have come to realize that too much onion in a recipe has negative gastroenterological side effects... so I was excited for that. Despite the large onion in this recipe, you actually couldn't taste it... odd.

Even though I'm always leery of a new recipe from anywhere, the entire family loved it, and it will become a frequently-used dinner recipe in our house!

Creamy Lemon One Pot Pasta(adapted from this recipe from diethood.com)